Donald Trump India Visit HIGHLIGHTS | Trade Deal In Works, Will Reduce More Regulations, US Prez Tells India Inc
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Background
Trump In India HIGHLIGHTS: US President Donald Trump, along with his wife Melania, arrived in Delhi after completing their engagements in Ahmedabad and taking a family trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra. Today, Trump will first receive a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 10 am as per the protocol. From there, he will go to the Rajghat to pay homage at the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi.
This will be followed by both, restricted, and delegation-level talks between Trump and Modi at the Hyderabad House in the afternoon. The talks would be followed by the exchange of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries.
The visiting dignitary will also attend a short programme at the US Embassy and meet Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Hyderabad House in the evening.
Trump will meet President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan before leaving for the United States by his special flight at 10 tonight.
The US President, who is currently on a two-day maiden visit to India, addressed around one lakh people at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday upon his arrival during the 'Namaste Trump' mega-event that was set on the lines of 'Howdy Modi' programme attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston last September.
TRADE TALKS
Among the key elements of the visit would be the trade talks between the United States and India. While answering a question on India-US Trade deal during the weekly press briefing on Thursday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said that New Delhi has been engaging with Washington for quite some time, and hopes to reach an understanding with an outcome that strikes the right balance for both sides.
"We do not like to rush into a deal as issues involved are complicated. We do not want to create an artificial deadline. For us, the interest of people are paramount," Kumar had said.
Kumar's remarks had come after Trump had said that India has not treated his country very well on the trade front and that a "very big" bilateral trade deal with New Delhi may not be signed before US Presidential election later this year. "We can have a trade deal with India, but I am really saving the big deal for later, maybe before elections. But we will have a very big deal with India," Trump said while talking to reporters.
Tensions on the trade front between the two countries had emerged in June, last year, after Trump revoked preferential trade privileges, in response to which India imposed tariffs on 28 US products, including almonds and apples. Despite several meetings held over the past 18 months in Washington DC, New Delhi, and New York, trade negotiators of the two countries are yet to finalise on a deal.
Responding to a question on the issue, a senior Trump Administration official last week said that India's protectionist policy has remained a concern for the United States with respect to the trade deal between the two countries, and that the 'Make in India' campaign makes the discussion on trade difficult.
On being asked about the restoration of India's participation in the Generalized System of Preferences, the official said, "The concerns that led to the revocation, suspension of India's GSP access remains a concern for us. And to remind those on the call it was really the failure of the Indian government to provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors."
AGREEMENTS
The MEA spokesperson had informed that New Delhi and Washington are eyeing around five Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in the areas of intellectual property, trade facilitation, and homeland security, among others.
"We are also looking at a joint statement which will basically capture the essence of the partnership between the two countries. I will not go into the details of the MoUs, I will see if I can, maybe, give you some topics on which MoUs are expected, we are looking at MoUs in the areas of intellectual property for example, in the area of trade facilitation, in the area of homeland security. These are works in progress and we will have a much clearer picture closer to the date," Kumar had said.
Regarding the H1B visa issue, he had said, "We have remained engaged with administration and US Congress on the movement of Indian professionals. The matter is very important to us. We do not expect that the movement of Indian professionals is part of the agenda that could come up for discussions."
Responding to a question on the areas of focus, a senior Trump Administration official had said that the visit would focus on enhancing economic, energy, defence and security cooperation between the two countries.
"The U.S. wants an India that is strong, with a capable military that supports peace, stability, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. Indeed, India is a pillar of our Indo-Pacific strategy, and we continue to work together to promote this vision of a free and open an international system based on market economics, good governance, freedom of the seas and skies, and respect for sovereignty," the official said.
"And our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific really goes to the heart of what binds our two countries together, and this is our shared democratic systems that place a premium on citizen-centric governments. In fact, India has a strong foundation of democracy, going back to the early days, right after independence. India is a country rich in religious, linguistic, and cultural diversity. In fact, it's the birthplace of four major world religions," the official added.
A day prior to Kumar's briefing on the areas of focus, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said that the two counties will hold talks in areas of defence, counter-terrorism, people to people contact, energy and regional issues, adding that it is an opportunity for both the countries to deepen their strategic partnership and a forward-looking relationship.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the violence that erupted in the national capital did not figure in his talks with PM Narendra Modi.
Trump said he did discuss religious freedom with Modi.
'We did talk about religious freedom..PM Modi wants people to have religious freedom. I heard about it (Delhi violence) but did not discuss with him...that's India's internal matter,' Trump said while responding to the clashes
Commending Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani for transforming India's telecom sector and his strategic investment in the energy sector in the US, President Donald Trump on Tuesday invited him to invest in his tax-friendly country.
'Great job you have done. Thank you,' Trump told Ambani who briefed him about the RIL investment in the US and India business at the CEO roundtable event organised at the US Embassy in Delhi.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday promised to reduce more regulations in his country as he looked for overseas investment to boost American economy. Speaking at a meeting with CEOs, he said a trade deal with India is in the works, but did not share any details.
'It has been an honour to be here,' he said on visiting India. 'We just did a lot of business with India where they will buy helicopters worth USD 3 billion'.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, 'he is very tough man, but he is also very nice man'.
On regulations in the US, he said some of the regulations have to go through statutory process, but his government is committed to reducing a lot more regulations.
Stating that he is going to win the coming US presidential elections that will cause the markets to boom, he said his government has done a lot for the economy, healthcare and military.
PTI
In a major setback to the Imran Khan government, President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated that India and the US were together in their fight against 'radical Islamic terrorism' and his government was committed to 'confront' terrorists operating from Pakistan's soil.
In a joint press briefing of the US and India, President Trump at Hyderabad House in the capital said during his discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 'the two countries agreed to protect their citizens from radical Islamic terrorism'.
The President's scathing attack against Islamabad and holding it responsible for terror groups operating from Pakistan's soil, comes a day after he said, during his Ahmedabad visit, that the US has very good relations with Pakistan.
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